My takeaways from India’s first slow-food festival held in the region

In November, all the noise around Shillong came from NH7 Weekender’s debut in the northeast. But around the same time, another sensory experience pulled in people from as many as 58 countries. The Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM) 2015 Shillong put the spotlight on northeast Indian cuisine and is perhaps the India’s first culinary event that brought together tribes from across the region.

Organised by a bunch of organisations including Slow Food International and the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS, Shillong), ITM was the perfect opportunity to taste a mind-bending range of cuisine in one place. From my conversations with experts and locals, I drew up this list of the hero-ingredients of northeastern cuisine. Expect to find these on your plate on your next visit:

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FERMENTED BAMBOO SHOOT: It is almost impossible to imagine northeast Indian cuisine without this versatile ingredient. An integral part of northeast food, fermented bamboo shoot is used by almost all tribes and communities in the region. While the Khasis use it for pickles, others cook bamboo shoot with pork or simply boil them. “It is like our bread and butter,” says the woman at the Nagaland stall, as she hastily plates a Naga thali, comprising rice, accompaniments and pork with what else—bamboo shoot. Photo: Aflo Co., Ltd. / Alamy Stock Photo

STICKY RICE: At a time when celebrity chef Vikas Khanna served an exotic sticky rice dessert to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US, this humble dish was quite the rage at ITM. I treated myself to a Tripuri thali, which comprised the delectable sticky rice brilliantly wrapped in banana leaves and other accompaniments, and putharo—rice pancakes of the Khasis. Though the KFCs and Dominos are mushrooming across Shillong, stalls serving jadoh (Khasi delicacy of rice and meat) are holding their own. Photo: Caste, Alain/the food passionates/Corbis

SMOKED MEAT AND FISH: Let’s admit it, northeasterners love fish and meat, especially the smoked variety. The technique isn’t easy, and needs one to master the right way of slicing the meat and mixing salt and oil. And then there is the wood. “Khasis use a particular type of wood that produces maximum smoke and gives the meat its flavour. Once the meat is dried, it is covered with the lamet leaf,” the man at the Khasi stall explains. Those who want the very best can head to the villages of Laitlyngkot and Mylliem on the outskirts of Shillong. Photo: Luit Chaliha/ZUMA Press/Corbis

FERMENTED SOYBEAN: Called tungrymbai by the Khasis, akhuni by the Nagas and hawai jar by the Manipuris, the pungent scent of this ingredient is hard to give it a pass. While most may find the overpowering smell unpalatable, this indigenous food product is actually a source of cheap high protein. They are easily available in Shillong and in the state packed in lamet leaves. Photo: Thomas Rudge / Alamy Stock Photo

RICE BEER: “The thickness, the strong, earthy flavour, the smoothness… I can go on,” said a visitor as he chugged the brew. This drink was an absolute sell-out, particularly those that were cleverly served in bamboo tumblers by the Karbi tribe of Assam. “We are a tribe who loves to drink and rice beer or hor is prepared using centuries-old recipe. Cooked rice is fermented and yeast locally produced. And that’s what makes it so good.” Photo: yogesh more / Alamy Stock Photo

HERBAL ESSENCES: “You know there are remote villages in Meghalaya where people have had gastric problems. That’s because of the local food or the jingbam tynrai, and turmeric from the region has a huge role to play,” says Pius Ranee, associate at NESFAS. “The Lakadong variety of Jaintia Hills is the best because its high curcumin content gives it excellent medicinal value.” Photo: Thiemann, Niklas/the food passionates/Corbis

SILKWORMS: While most shied away from the Niang ryndia or silkworms, I am certain that most people who try them blind would fall in love with the taste. Of course, silkworms are not for the faint-hearted. The eri silkworm, from which the eri silk is woven, is the edible variety and is reared mostly in Ribhoiin district of the state. “Come winter, you’ll find these yellow and green worms aplenty in Bara Bazar (the largest market in the northeast),” a local tells me. Close your eyes and enjoy, is all I can say. Photo: age fotostock / Alamy Stock Photo